1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wireless communication system constituted by a communication apparatus having a management function for managing a network and a plurality of wireless terminals for performing wireless communication via the network, the communication apparatus and a method of controlling the communication apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a wireless LAN has an infrastructure mode in which the LAN is accessed via an access point, and an ad-hoc mode in which wireless terminals communicate with one another. Throughput of the overall wireless network is improved by exploiting these wireless channels effectively.
By way of example, if traffic concentrates at an access point of a wireless LAN system, a changeover instruction for changeover to the ad-hoc mode (another network) is issued to a wireless terminal managed by the access point, thereby preventing concentration of traffic. For example, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-086234.
In the example of the prior art described above, however, if a specific wireless terminal has left the network managed by the access point and has constructed another network, then the access point will not manage information concerning this other network. As a consequence, a problem which arises is that the network managed by the access point cannot issue an instruction to a wireless terminal participating in the other network to the effect that it wishes this wireless terminal to return to its own network.